Hello fellow hubbers,

We need your help to devise an itinerary that will suit us for a 1st time visit to morocco. We want to see a little bit of every thing, not too much desert or off piste but a good gravel/off-road would be perfect, no need to get lost in the desert (if you know what I mean) as we will have done that in Algeria...

• So we have 7 days not including the ferry to and from Spain.
• We are travelling 2-up on our BMW GS
• We like to camp
• We don't want to ride more than 5hrs per day give or take.

We were thinking a little tour in the north something like:

Day 1: Arrive Melilla (Spain enclave) enter Morocco - How long will the border crossing take?
Day 2: Head to Tourirt
Day 3: Direction Fes
Day 4: Follow N8 direction Marrakesh - Beni Mellal
Day 5: Marrakesh
Day 6: Around Marrakesh - what to see in 1 day??
Day 7: Marrakesh to Casablanca
Day 8: Casablanca to Rabat
Day 9: Rabat to Tanger - Take Ferry to Spain


Thanks for any tips or advice on places to see or alternate routes.

__________________
TurboCharger + Francois (our BMW R1200gs) '07
www.riding2up.net, blog.riding2up.net

Comm'on you Moroccan Experts. I challenge you to give us a good dirt/gravel track in the north... perhaps the Atlas mountains or elsewhere?

__________________
TurboCharger + Francois (our BMW R1200gs) '07
www.riding2up.net, blog.riding2up.net

Check Tim's posts

Morocco and NW Africa - ::. UKGSer.com .::

Zig

I would skip Casablanca-Rabat (it's easy to go from Cas to Tangiers in one go)
that'll give you an extra day somewhere else.....

If you take on board Hieronymus's suggestion about doing Cas - Tan in one go you might consider using the extra time by changing your day 4 route. Instead of taking the N8, loop round south of the mountains on the N13 and N10. The change in scenery as you hit the N10 is quite spectacular with a real feeling of being in the desert.

I'd make four points
1. Keep off the 'N' roads where possible to see more of the countryside.
2. The most scenic and spectacular roads are in the mountains.
3. Don't be too ambitious with distances otherwise you won't see much.
4. Don't visit Fez, Marrakech, etc unless you intend to spend at least half a day looking around.

From Melilla you could head to Taza for the first night, then from there head south on the R507 and visit the Gouffre Friouato (deepest cave system) then continue on to Tizi bou Zabal before heading west on the R504 to Sefrou and Fez. See M10 for photos.

Spend half the next day in Fez, then head towards Azrou for the night, visiting Sefrou, the dayats, Ifrane on the way. There's lots to see in this vicinity with wild monkeys, volcanos, cedar forests, flowers, springs... See M21 for photos. Hotel Cedres in Azrou or the Panorama.

From Azrou I'd head south on side roads through the cedar forest and karst scenery via Ain Leuh, the source of the Oum er Rbia river (great place to visit) to Khenifra.

From there, head south via El Kebab and Arghbala to Imilchil in the central High Atlas mountains. You could stay at the lovely isolated gite next to the lake, or continue on a few km into Imilchil where there's loads of options.

Next day carry on south down the Todra to Tinerhir, see E11.

That should give you some food for thought.

Tim

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Thanks for the replies. I agree, more country side the better. I think however Fez deserves a .5-1 day tour. I do love barganing in the Casba and Medinas.

@ Tim, that's brilliant. Thanks for the tips will get back to you if I have any questions.

__________________
TurboCharger + Francois (our BMW R1200gs) '07
www.riding2up.net, blog.riding2up.net

Personally, on our first trip there we prefered Fez to Marrakech (although the main square and surrounding area in Marrakech is fun - but touristy). If you get a little extra time try to spend a day / night in Chefcheoun - a lovely and lively little town in the mountains. Campsite just above the town, hotels in town.
Otherwise, the more time you can spend in / around the Atlas the better - superb.

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All who wander are not lost - JRR Tolkien
www.wearthefoxhat.us